


Calla Lilies

by starsniper



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Feels, Fluff, M/M, Nygmobblepot, Spoilers for Season 2, lilies, post 2x12
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 23:02:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6170161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsniper/pseuds/starsniper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Edward explains the symbolic meaning behind different species of lilies to Gertrud's grave.</p><p>
  <i>"Did you know that yellow lilies represent playfulness and youth? Oswald would often tell me that you were always a young soul at heart, and that you loved to dance and sing at his nightclub. I wish I could have seen your performances. I play the piano myself you know."</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Calla Lilies

_“Forget me, my friend. But if you would take care of my mother's grave, I'd be very grateful. If you'd visit occasionally, tell her I'm thinking of her.”_  
_“I will.”_  
_“She likes lilies.”_  
_"Occasional visits, lilies, check."_  
_"Thank you."_

                   -Gotham 02x12 - Mr. Freeze

* * *

 

The first thing Ed does when he gets off from work is look up directions to the nearest flower shop.  He knows that Oswald never specified a start time to visit his mother's grave but for some reason the forensic scientist feels compelled to visit the site as soon as possible. It's not as if he'll be missed after his previously frozen body mysteriously melted and came back to life this morning. 

 

Ed hisses at the sudden exposure to sunlight as he leaves the GCPD much earlier than he'd grown accustomed to in the past month. He hadn't _intended_ to become an insomniac or a night owl, but his caseload had nearly quadrupled in the last few weeks since Theo Galavan's death, leading to many late nights and early mornings in the lab. And while the bespectacled man would never admit it out loud, he quickly realized going home to a once again empty apartment had been much  lonelier than he expected.

 

The nearest flower shop is thankfully only a few blocks away and after a quick conversation with the owner, Ed finds himself in possession of two dozen white Madonna lilies. Using the flowers to shield his eyes from the sun, Ed slowly makes his way to his car and drives to the graveyard. He has the route memorized, having visited many times with Oswald when the mobster was arranging her burial.

 

There was unfortunately no body to bury, Galavan had made sure of that, and no funeral procession, as Oswald was a wanted criminal on the run. But at the very least Oswald had wanted to lay his mother to rest, and it was the last thing he and the smaller man would do together before Oswald disappeared into the streets of Gotham.

 

There's a million things Ed rehearses in his mind but he finds that he has nothing to say when he actually is standing in front Gertrud Kapelput's grave. Although he's been to the graveyard itself many times, this is only the second time Ed has actually visited her actual grave site since it was erected. The only other time he'd been here was with Oswald himself on a rainy day. The mobster had sobbed openly in front of his mother's tombstone while Ed could only hold the man's favorite umbrella over the two of them for shelter.

 

Ed himself had lost his mother at a very young age, and while he remembers being close with her, most of his feelings towards the woman were embittered by how quickly his relationship with his father deteriorated after her death.

 

"Mrs. Kapelput, a pleasure to see you again," Ed finally greets after a long silence. Ed has often wondered what the woman would have thought of him had they met while she was still alive. Would she be as initially mistrustful of him as her son had been? Or would she have embraced him wholeheartedly, glad to see that her son had finally made a genuine friend?

 

"Oswald told me that you enjoyed lilies, but he neglected to inform me which variety was your favorite. Did you know that the lily flower dates back to Ancient Greece as the symbol of motherhood? It was said that the flower originated from the breast milk of the queen of the gods herself, Hera."

 

One of the nice things about talking to the dead versus the living was that the former didn't seem to mind when he prattled on about all the useless information he had stored in his head over the years. Ed likes to think that were Mrs. Kapelput alive, however, she would enjoy listening to him talk about her favorite flower.

 

Ed eventually kneels in front of the tombstone and starts arranging the lilies around it. He picks one out from the bouquet and inhales the flower's unique scent before speaking to the grave again.

 

"I'm sure you're most familiar with Lilium candidum, also known as the Madonna lily. This particular flower is associated mostly with Christian customs, specifically the Virgin Mary.  Your son once told me that you were a saint, you know, so these seemed most appropriate to bring to you today.

 

Ed finds himself smiling at the memory of Oswald holding a knife to his throat that night. The smaller man had looked so vulnerable as he spoke about his mother and Ed remembers wishing he could do _anything_  to ease the pain of her loss. He wonders what Gertrud would think of her son taking revenge on her behalf. Would she be proud of his deep love for her, or upset at her son’s criminal pursuits?

 

"Mrs. Kapelput, I'm not entirely sure if you knew the extent of your son's crimi-ahem...activities. But you should know that your son is a strong, resilient man, and he did not let your murderer walk free. But now, he's paying for doing what's right by your name, and the burden of your care has fallen to me. I do hope that you don't mind that I'll be visiting from now on."

 

After the forensic scientist finishes arranging the flowers to his liking, Ed stands up slowly, taking in the now more lively looking grave site. He smiles and makes a mental note to bring a different set of lilies next time he visits.

 

"I shall return soon Mrs. Kapelput. Please be patient until then."

 

His only answer is a gentle breeze that blows through his hair.

 

\--

 

A week later, Ed returns to Gertrud's grave with bright orange tiger lilies in hand. The flowers had caught his eye when he had gone to Chinatown a few nights ago. His favorite restaurant had put on a beautiful display of the flowers in their waiting area, which Ed immediately asked about purchasing. After receiving his dinner, he was directed to a small corner shop run by an old Chinese woman who spoke in broken English, and tried to sell him herbal remedies in addition to the flowers.

 

"I've brought you tiger lilies today Mrs. Kapelput. Did you know that tiger lilies originated from China and that their bulbs are edible? I did some research into it and apparently they're supposed to taste like potatoes when they're cooked. I think I'll just stick to the root vegetable personally." Ed always found the customs of other countries quite fascinating, and he sometimes wondered what traditions Gertrud had passed down to her son. Ed wishes he had asked before the man had been carted off to Arkham.

 

Ed sighs and tries to forget about his last encounter with Oswald. It was too brief, and still quite painful to think about. He instead turns his focus to the arrangement of the flowers on Gertrud's grave.

 

"You know, Mrs. Kapelput, there's an old superstition that simply smelling a tiger lily will give you freckles just like the flower. Ridiculous right? But I'll let you know if I spontaneously sprout spots, just in case. Maybe I can match your son." Ed laughed at the thought of sporting a matching set of freckles to his feathered friend. He's quite certain that he wouldn't look nearly as good as the smaller man did in them.

 

Ed finds himself counting the number of spots on one particular flower and wishing that he knew the exact number of freckles Oswald had peppered across his face. He adds it to the list of things he wanted to do when he saw the former crime boss again. The list seemed to be getting longer as the days went by.

 

\--

 

The next time Ed visits, he notices that some weeds have begun to grow around Gertrud's tombstone. He makes a mental note to bring gloves and garden tools for next time.

 

"I've brought you Canada lilies today Mrs. Kapelput. Apologies for taking so long between visits. It's been awfully busy at the lab lately." Indeed, his workload at the GCPD had been relentless. Mr. Freeze still hadn't been apprehended, and his body count was rising exponentially. Ed has been chained to his desk day and night, and some nights would sleep in the lab rather than returning home. He's fairly certain Jim and Harvey have noticed, but thankfully neither of them have broached the subject with him.

 

Ed finds himself smiling at the bright yellow color of the lilies as he arranges them around the grave. He's also taken to keeping at least one lily bud on his desk to brighten the otherwise dismal atmosphere at the GCPD.

 

"Did you know that yellow lilies represent playfulness and youth? Oswald would often tell me that you were always a young soul at heart, and that you loved to dance and sing at his nightclub. I wish I could have seen your performances. I play the piano myself you know."

 

Or well, he had played the piano. Ed hasn't touched the keyboard in weeks, whereas before he would play every night before going to bed. What once was a soothing ritual now only brought anxiety and melancholy with Oswald's continued absence.

 

Ed wonders what it would be like to have Gertrud and Oswald sing while he played the piano. He imagined the Penguin Lounge packed with patrons from the world over and lines outside the door full of people just desperate for a glimpse at such a highly sought performance. Then, before he realizes it, Ed is serenading Gertrud's tombstone with the song Oswald hummed under his covers from what feels like an eternity ago.

 

"The fire has gone out, wet from snow above...but nothing will warm me more...than my...my mother's love..."

 

\--

 

Removing the weeds proves to be a more laborious task than Ed originally anticipates. He now understands how some people can spend so much time tending to their gardens, weeding alone can take hours.

 

"Did you know…(huff)....that pink…(huff)....stargazer lilies are meant to represent…(huff)...wealth and prosperity?" Ed thinks this variety of lily is his favorite by far. Their flowers blossoms are gigantic compared to normal lilies, and he finds himself incredibly attracted to their unapologetically bold shade of pink. Ed had also read that the flowers could also represent ambition, and these blooms definitely communicated that message loud and clear.

 

When he finally pulls the last weed free, Ed collapses against Gertrud's grave and takes the lilies back into his arms and inhales deeply. He’s come to find the flowers’ scent deeply relaxing, more so than any other flower he’d ever come into contact with in his life. He’s begun contemplating growing lilies in a pot his apartment, but he worries that there’s not enough sunlight to nurture them. For now, Ed is content to make flower arrangements.

 

"I suppose Oswald could use a few of these for whenever he gets out of Arkham right? Wouldn’t that be lovely, Mrs. Kapelput? Filling the entire nightclub with beautiful lilies such as these?”

 

Ed tries not to think about how he hasn't heard from his friend in several weeks now.

 

\--

 

Ed is shivering, partially from the unexpected cold front that has hit Gotham City, and partially because of what he's about to do. He can see the white calla lilies shaking in his arms as he approaches Gertrud’s grave, and takes a few deep breaths to steady himself before he kneels at her grave.

 

“Look Mrs. Kapelput, I managed to find calla lilies for you today. Calla lilies are actually improperly named, you know. They're not part of the lily family at all, they're actually part of the Araceae family, which actually makes them related to caladium plants. The reason they're named the way they are is because one oafish Swedish botanist misidentified them. The name stuck even after someone else came along and corrected his idiotic mistake.”

 

Ed takes a deep breath. Now or never, he supposes.

 

"Actually, there's another reason why I've brought you these particular flowers today Mrs. Kapelput. You see, Calla lilies represent deep devotion and love, which is why they're often used in wedding bouquets. And you see, I think I’m in love **,** Mrs. Kapelput.”

 

Ed is in love. He’s angry at himself for not realizing sooner that his feelings for Oswald ran far deeper than friendship. That it’s taken him this long to realize that there’s a hole in his heart, and an emptiness that can only be filled by the smaller man returning to him in one piece. Ed swore he would never fall for anyone after all the pain Kristen put him through for it, but this, this is different. _Oswald_ is different. Ed looks at the lilies and then back at Gertrud’s grave and knows that the woman knew how special her son was too.

 

“I must confess, Mrs. Kapelput, that I've become a bit of a lovestruck fool over your son,” Ed says, then pauses. This is much more difficult than he originally anticipated it to be, but he presses on, anxious to get his confession out.

 

“If I may, I'd like your permission to..to court Oswald.”

 

Ed knows that he’s never going to get an answer from beyond the grave, but his heart still desperately hopes for any sign that Gertrud is listening to him. The inevitable silence that follows doesn’t deter him from continuing the rest of his speech.

 

“I, I know that I'm a man, and perhaps you may think I am unworthy of your darling Oswald, but there is nothing that I wouldn't do for him **.** I think the world of him and only wish to bring him happiness. Which is why I'll be suspending my visits to you for a while. You see, the next time I visit, I intend to bring Oswald with me, Mrs. Kapelput. Come hell or high water, your son will be a free man once again, I will see to that. It may take some time, though, so please be patient. We'll both be back for you soon.”

 

Ed finishes arranging the calla lilies, stands up, and takes in the sight of Gertrud’s grave before bowing and walking away. For some reason, he no longer feels the cold of the wind as he turns away . He pauses halfway back to his car, and glances behind him at the lonely grave one last time.

 

“And I swear I would never forget him.” He thinks he must be imagining things as he turns back around, but there seems to be a gentle warmth surrounding him instead, with just the faintest scent of lilies in the air.

**Author's Note:**

> I did a lot of research into the different meanings behind lilies. Here's a few of the websites I consulted in case any of you were curious.
> 
> Lilies (general) - [here](http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/mostpopularflowers/lilies), [here](http://www.teleflora.com/meaning-of-flowers/lily), and [here](https://lilipedia.wikispaces.com/Lilies+in+Myth+and+Literature)
> 
> Calla Lilies - [here](http://www.teleflora.com/blog/what-do-calla-lilies-represent/)
> 
> Tiger Lilies - [here](http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/wildflowers/tiger-lily)
> 
> Stargazer Lilies - [here](http://www.proflowers.com/blog/history-of-stargazer-lilies)
> 
> BIG THANKS AND HUGS TO MY WONDERFUL BETA AND BFF [GIL212](http://gil212.tumblr.com/) <3 We're both on tumblr. Come find us and [say hello.](https://seiya-starsniper.tumblr.com/)  
> 


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